Lunalonge 1345 AD

[Erpingham]

Battle of Lunalonge Summer 1349
Protagonists : Thomas Coke (Anglo-Gascons) v. Jean de Lille (French)
Numbers : 500 Anglo-Gascons v. 1500 French
Original source :Sir Thomas Gray : Scalacronica (Trans Sir Herbert Maxwell), James Maclehouse & Sons, Glasgow, 1907, pp136-7

And then, a good while after this{The Battle of Guitres} , some twelve years{actually eight}, more grand exploits happened in Gascony after the departure of the Duke of Lancaster, who was the King's Lieutenant in those parts, as was said before, and before the coming of the King's son, the Prince of Wales, into the said country. Such was the affair of Lymeloinge at the relief of Lusignan, when the English knight Thomas Coke was seneschal after the departure of the said Duke; which Thomas, with the Anglo-Gascon barons, numbered five hundred lances. In marching [to Lusignan] there came upon them suddenly fifteen hundred French lances, seneschals of the country, in three troops.

The advanced guard of the French avoided the lance points at the first encounter, moving round the ranks of the English, who had dismounted, [but] coming so close that every Englishman who chose to strike slew a horse with his lance, the Frenchmen being thrown out of their saddles to the ground.

The second troop of the French charged the English on horseback. Many of the English who were overthrown rose up and rallied on foot, having killed many of the Frenchmen's horses as they passed ; and these Frenchmen, thrown from their horses, ran with the others, their comrades of the advanced guard who had been thrown already, to the Englishmen's horses, nearly all of which they took and mounted.

The English posted themselves on their knees behind a low wall of Antain. The rearguard of the French halted in front of them and remained there all day on horseback, and moved off at night. The English, having nothing more to do, marched afoot, lance in hand, four leagues through the country to an English fortress.

Commentary
The battle of Lunalonge is one of those featured in T.F.Tout's famous 1905 paper "Some NeglectedFights between Crecy and Poitiers" in which he discusses the development of the tactic of dismounting men-at-arms. Tout mistakenly believed that the battle only featured in the Chronique Normande de XIVSiecle.  That account is less detailed than this, but provides the name of the French commander and gives the same broad features of the action.  The battle tends to be called Lunalonge in commentaries on tactics but Gray calls it Lymeloinge, which has led to it be identified with Limalonges in Deux Sevres.

The interesting feature of the battle is it shows how dismounted men-at-arms faced a cavalry attack.  The Anglo-Gascons are outnumbered, so decide not to fight it out on horseback.  They dismount , send their horses to the rear and form up with their lances (there is no sign of shortening lances –Gray doesn't refer to the English doing this in his other accounts of lance fighting on foot either).  The French attack in three groups sequentially, which suggests the field is confined.  The first attack doesn't really get to grips – it goes round the English, though some French horses are killed.  The second wave seems to get stuck in, knocking men down, but these get up and start unseating French men and killing horses – the Anglo-Gascons are clearly holding their cohesion.  The unseated French, doubtless assisted by still mounted comrades who felt they'd done their bit, capture or run off the Anglo-Gascon  horses.  The Anglo-Gascons now seem to shift position to behind a low wall, where they kneel.  It is possible they have taken up position in an enclosure – this would fit a common pattern in the Hundred Years War of seeking to make a stand in an enclosure or garden if things were going badly.  The obvious parallel is with the first day of the Battle of Valmont in 1416, where the French had broken through the English and stolen their horses, so the English relocated to a nearby walled garden.  The remaining French, having seen the first two groups fail to make an impact, aren't going to try and break the Anglo-Gascons with another charge now they are in cover, so watch till nightfall then disengage.  Their opponents wait till the coast is clear and march off.  Coincidentally, this is exactly the same result as at Valmont.  It is interesting to note Gray says little about casualties but the Chronique Normande has the French lose 300 men killed and prisoners.  The most notable prisoner was Jean I de Meingre, later Marshal of France, whose son would of the same name would also be Marshal and be one of the leaders at Agincourt.

[aligern]

Thank you Anthony, lovely battle description and useful commentary.
I hope tht we can look forward to many more !
Roy

[Erpingham]

Truth be told, the balance between battle and skirmish, and the level of detail needed to make it worthwhile are the question.  Gray has some excellent descriptions that get you into the action but they are small fights (many involving his father).  Gray's take on fights is useful because he was an active soldier, so even if he embroiders, he probably does so realistically

However, I'm considering a couple more.   Maybe a bit of Froissart?

[aligern]

Mmmmmmmm Froissart.
Geoffrey Le Baker??
Roy